Killer Japanese Encephalitis toll at 131

Gorakhpur, Sep 6 (UNI) The deadly Japanese Encephalitis (JE) toll in Uttar Pradesh had reached an alarming figure of 131 following the death of two more children today.

Joint director health Dr Umakant Prasad said the patients' inflow was continuing at the local Baba Raghav Das Medical College.

Since April, a total of 803 people, mostly children, sufferring from JE have been admitted at the medical college, of which 123 -- including 23 fresh cases -- are still under treatment.

The patients belong to Gorakhpur, Deoria, Maharajganj, Sant Kabirnagar, Kushinagar, Basti, Siddharthnagar, Azamgarh, Gonda and Balrampur district of UP.

At least 104 cases were reported in Bihar, while Nepal accounts for only three JE cases.

Gorakhpur has the dubious distiction of being the JE epicentre in the region. The endemic afflicts eastern UP during monsoon every year.

The government had undertaken a massive vaccination drive against the vector-borne disease, however, the efficacy and penetration of the drive has come under cloud with the mounting toll.

Meanwhile, a medical team from Pune is conducting tests to ascertain the cause of the disease.

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